Current Employee - Vice President of Sales - Academia & National Labs in Austin, TX

Current Employee - Vice President of Sales - Academia & National Labs in Austin, TX

I have been working at DataDirect Networks full-time (less than a year)

Pros

Its great to be a part of a company that has a clear vision with an end-to-end solution. The leadership is investing in products and people. The passion to win has never been higher. I realize in the past the perception has been rather negative but those of us here now believe in the future of this company. Everyone is aligned in delighting our customers and beating the competition. DDN is a large start up and still encounters the issues associated with growing pains of a company of this size. Its not perfect by any means, but what company is? And evolving and overcoming those issues are what is fun and provides us an opportunity to be a part of building something great. Coming from a company with over 120,000 employees, the issues DDN is facing are just different issue than any other larger company. Its awesome that DDN is the only storage vendor in the Challenger and/or Leaders Quadrant that is under $1Billion in sales. I also have heard of complaints regarding Paul Bloch and Alex Bouzari but I have to tell you I see vision, passion and excitement from these two leaders. Comparing the leadership at DDN versus other large companies I would take someone with passion, drive and creativity over the large corporate mentality of complacency. DDN is not a place for passiveness. If you are someone that desires leadership, passion, can-do attitude and a strong desire to win then you should be a part of where DDN is going!

Cons

Listen to the intellectual capacity within the organization. Some of the brightest minds are working at DDN. Harness collective ideas to maintain that market relevancy and customer support. Don’t forget what made this company great!

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Let the employees see your passion and your love for the company and the employees. I have witness this love for the employees first hand. “Love” is a awkward word that most people in the business wold shy away from. I have to say, seeing the love you have for the people of DDN is the driving force behind the passion you both bring. And I want to be a part of that! If the employees believe in you and the mission of DDN, great things can be accomplished. Seek balance and diversity. People love to see the passion you posses. I love how you lean into every opportunity and every engagement. However, embrace a diversity of talents as it will make the fabric of this company stronger. Trying to win through brut force is not always the answer. Listen to the collective ideas and seek to understand their position(s). The place that “can-do” attitude behind making some of these creative ideas happen. DDN can execute like no other company when everyone is aligned behind the idea. That is what will take this company to the next level.

This company is booming and you can feel it! DDN is consistently hiring, growing, and succeeding. Employees have the freedom to take their own approach on getting the job done, as long as it gets done in a timely manner. My experience here has been fulfilling because I am challenged in a healthy and positive way, I am consistently given the opportunity to improve upon current processes, and my colleagues feel like more than just colleagues. DDN is on its way to the highest ranks of the industry and if you are someone looking for growth, professional flexibility, and certain future success, now is the time to join. DDN offers some wonderful benefits taboot!

Cons

If you need set-in-stone structure, this is not the place for you. There are not black and white lines, or a rule-book to refer to. (This is part of what I personally love about it here, but some would find this too chaotic and discouraging.)

Great team culture. Growing and on the right path forward. Technology and roadmap are first rate- set to dominate the market in less than 2 years. Already dominating HPC.

Cons

Pretty demanding sales machine. Senior leadership is very growth focused and diligent about qualifying opportunities and validating pipeline. I guess these are not really so much cons, just something to be aware of if you are looking at a sales role and are not experienced in a high growth sales org.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Keep focus. Its good to be flexible to market needs but these things should not impact our technology development schedule.

Smart company all around from their Leadership, Employees and Technology. The culture is very energetic, fast paced, fun and empathetic/caring. Beyond their team, they have the best tools, resources and processes. The employees are valued, trusted and everyone works as team. DataDirect Networks runs a very tight ship, I have never experienced anything like it. They compensate their employees very good and have great benifit with extended paid holiday time off for employees to be with our families. The CEO and President will also go above and beyond in acknowledging all their 600 plus employees. DataDirect Networks is a fast growing company, they are the leaders in Big Data Storage and it's an honor to be among this great company in what they are accomplishing and stand for.

Cons

DataDirect Networks is a high tech company and there was a lot to learn, so it was a little intimidating at first, but they have world class training and it's important to stay up to date in taking advantage of all their training resources beyond what is required to always be learning. Not really a con, but just some wisdom for future employees.

I have been working at DataDirect Networks full-time (more than a year)

Pros

Market leaders in HPC, Life Sciences, Financial Services, Oil&Gas or any research requiring large I/O or large capacity Excellent with customers when you find the right field, SE's are very knowledgable and probably the best in the field.Great people, great management and on top of it very competitive compensation.

Cons

Marketing team is great, but could be more impactful, if they had more resources.

The company is building a strong culture of employee recognitionManagement supports career goals, growth and transitionsStrong corp work ethic is balanced by very flexible attitudes towards work styles, locations, hoursWorking on the category-leading products with passionate people is challenging, motivating and funLots of motivation from interacting with customers who are leaders in their field, and who are working on systems, materials, models, energy sources, and more that will fundamentally change the way we live

Cons

People who expect the culture to be like a mega tech company are not a good fit - they struggle. So, when you're interviewing ask lots of questions about fit and get several current employees' input.

DDN is a place to take your career to the next level. Opportunities abound and the invention culture in the company is without compare. I am allowed to be involved in any project that interests me and where I can make a difference. The opportunity to work from home from time to time is embraced and opportunities for travel and to work directly with customers are easily come by.

Cons

The culture is very high intensity, results driven. Some people find the constant push for results to be very stressful.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Reward and recognize top performers heavily. Listen to team members when concerns about the organization's ability to scale and produce results is getting fragile. Invest in more good people to support the goals of the company.